


Sick Lullaby

by Boethiah



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Akko being an overdramatic teenage girl, Angst, Canon Divergent, Gen, HORMOOOOOOOONES, Heartache, Jealousy, Multi, Romantic Fluff, Sleeplessness, Slice of Life, ranting, relationship drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-10-13 23:25:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10524117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boethiah/pseuds/Boethiah
Summary: Akko has some boy trouble.Takes place after Episode 10.





	1. Fever Dream

Atsuko Kagari’s roommates watched as the witch screamed into a pillow and pounded her fists against the bed.

“Gaaaaah! What is it with that _bi –_ “

“Akko, people can hear you from the next room.” Lotte said, looking up from her book.

“ _– g loser_ anyway?”

Sucy didn’t even turn from her desk. Even utility wart-growing potions were more interesting to engage with than one of Akko’s vitriolic rants about Diana. “Why are you even talking about her again? You’ve been on this ever since the party.” she said, her eyes fixated on the green fluid dripping from her test tube.

Lotte blinked. Akko had been _especially_ loud about how much she hated Diana ever since the incident at the Hanbridge estate. Her hot-blooded friend had spent most of Broomstick Riding trying to find flaws in Diana’s technique; Lotte was startled at how much jargon she tossed around glancing from the sidelines. Later, walking back from lunch, she had spent so long recounting everything she disliked about the prodigy that the two had ended up late for Potions class.

“I mean, don’t you guys feel that way? Oh _sure_ , she can speak Dragon when not even the teachers could! Oh _sure_ , she can outspeed the fastest broom ever made! _Sure_! Doesn’t it eat at you inside?”

Lotte and Sucy shook their heads.

“Well, it _should_!”

The nebbish witch exchanged a glance with Sucy. Akko was too busy grimacing, but the two of them both knew what the other was trying to tell them – something else was going on.

After a moment of the two roommates allowing Akko to simmer in rage, Sucy finally dropped the bomb. “This is about Andrew, isn’t it?” she said, showing her pointed teeth in a wide grin.

If it were possible to choke on your words, Akko would have died of asphyxiation on the spot. She stuttered together a half-formed response, before jumping off her bed and storming out of the room. Two pairs of eyes followed her on the way out.

Lotte spoke out as soon as she was sure their friend was out of earshot. “Did you really have to _say_ it, Sucy?”

The other witch shrugged. “I thought it was obvious.”

Lotte couldn’t rebut that.

* * *

 

 

The sound of running water did nothing to ease Akko’s frustration. The young witch stared at her reflection, face wet and eyes bulging out of their sockets.

It wasn’t that what Sucy said was right. It was _wrong_ – wrong in a way she couldn’t phrase, but understood in her heart. It was all Andrew, of course. The handsome boy, whose very name brought a dreamy expression to her classmates. Especially those stuck-up little _harpies_ that followed Diana around. She spared no small amount of anger for them both.

Of _course_ Akko’d thought he was cute when she first met him. Who _wouldn’t_? It was love at first sight! She remembered the first time he’d _held her hand_ , for instance. And the spell-induced confession had set her heart _racing_. Even when she’d eavesdropped on his _father_ like that...

Obviously, Sucy was right about her – not that she’d ever admit it to her, but they both knew. She knew she knew. She _knew_ that she knew that she –

“Wait, who went where with what again?” Akko said, scratching her head. “ _Argh!_ ”

She shut her eyes and shook her head, scrunching up her hair with both hands. Beads of water flecked around her. One thing was certain, though, the witch thought to herself as she regained her composure. She _hated_ Diana.

Come to think of it, she’d _always_ hated Diana. Ever since the two had first talked, at the garden with the statues, she’d felt this silent anger at her. She didn’t make a secret of it, either! Everyone knew about their impassioned rivalry. Diana had insulted Shiny Chariot - she couldn’t let _any_ insult to her idol go unanswered.

Akko placed both of her hands on the sink, staring at the mirror hard enough to bore a hole in it. She was so angry at her, more than she was angry at Professor Finneran or Hannah and Barbara. She _hated_ her, dammit. She knew Diana thought she was just a spoiled, loud-mouthed, hero-worshipping _little_ …

And how could she compete with her? Diana was rich, a genius and – and Akko bit her tongue – _drop-dead gorgeous_. She felt like she shrank a little whenever she thought that. Even in her school uniform, the scion carried herself with unearthly grace. Her hair, dashed gold-and-white and flowing down in tresses. Her cool, calm blue eyes and long lashes. Her soft chin, full lips and delicate fingers. No amount of modesty could hide how beautiful she was, and Akko hated how she flaunted it. She hated it hated it hated it _hated_ it.

And when Lotte had said she was beautiful that day, Akko had tried her hardest not to show anything – not because she disagreed, not even because she _vehemently_ disagreed. It was because – and her shoulders slumped at the thought – she knew her friend was right. The way the dress hugged her slim frame, fine silk against flawless, creamy skin. The glittering necklace hanging from her neck, matching her eyes so perfectly. The same eyes that (albeit under a magic spell) had gazed up on her that night with…

Jolting up, Akko ran out of the girls’ room at a frightening speed.

One thought raced through her mind as she shot through the corridor. How could someone like _her_ possibly compete for anyone’s affections with someone like _that_?

* * *

 

 

She threw fits that night, trying to get to sleep. It wasn’t a school night, so she shouldn’t have worried, but – but she couldn’t get it out of her head, _could_ she?

No matter how hard she shut her eyes, her mind’s eye couldn’t stop playing things out. It was like pantomime - Diana and Andrew standing in a field, dressed in all their finery, the sun shining onto a mile of green grass. Who was to say that this hadn’t happened, or at least something like it? They’d clearly known each other for some time.

He held her hands and Atsuko wondered, how did they feel? How did those small, dainty fingers feel when you held them against your chest?

He caressed her cheek and Atsuko wondered, how did it feel? She thought of her fingers against soft skin, feeling the warmth and pulse underneath.

He led her into his embrace and held her head up to kiss her. Atsuko saw how they met, perfect lips pressed against perfect lips. _And then what?_

 _You know what_ , she heard Sucy’s voice say in her head, and she really didn’t. She really, really didn’t, because she really didn’t _want_ to know what followed.

 _What?_ the voice continued. _They’ll probably get married, settle down and have children together. Oh, I can see them now, those little_ worms _running around with the crustiest, most stuck-up snob genes in the_ world _boiling beneath their skin_. _And there’d be_ lots _of them too, popping up left and right._

The imaginary Sucy cackled. _Oh yes, lots and lots of them. Looking at you with perfect eyes and smiling with perfect teeth and -_

Akko could practically see Sucy licking her lips with glee. She opened her eyes, partly to make sure that Sucy wasn’t really whispering in her ear. The other part…well, she didn’t want to dwell on that too long. Sure enough, the real Sucy was fast asleep in her bed.

Atsuko sighed. She _knew_ that it wasn’t her. Her friend wouldn’t stab that low, would she?

The witch curled up in a fetal position, legs near her chest. What would Chariot have done in this situation? _Had_ she ever been in this situation? What could a witch as powerful and as beautiful as her possibly know about heartache?

Akko groaned and gripped her stomach as she tried to fidget her way to sleep, her hair still wet with sinkwater.


	2. Pretty Poison, Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The saga continues after all! These characters are so fun to write.

“Alright, class.” Professor Lukic clicked her sharp teeth. “Group into pairs for the presentation next Thursday. You may _not_ have the same partner as last assignment, hee hee hee!”

 _Well_ , Sucy thought, _that last clause rules_ one _option out._ She suspected that Lotte would’ve declined regardless, given how the last assignment had turned her face green. Akko, as always, was out of the question entirely – she was sweet and all, but Sucy didn’t want to pull their weight by herself.

Sucy looked at Diana. _Hm_. She was stuck-up and snobby, sure, but no-one could deny that Diana was a genius. She bet that the two of them could cook up something _really_ nasty together. And anyway, it _was_ just one assignment.

The usual suspects surrounded the blonde witch. Hannah and Barbara were there, of course, as well as some other witches Sucy didn’t recognize. They looked desperate for her help – Sucy allowed herself a quiet smirk.

“I’ve helped you girls enough in this subject.” Diana said, her arms folded. “The point of these projects is to learn how to work with different people. What’s the point if you only ever choose me?”

Sucy popped up in between Hannah and Barbara, much to the two witches’ chagrin. “Hey, Diana,” she said, acting oblivious to the witches’ struggling, “want to group up for this assignment?”

“What are you trying to pull, freak?” shouted Hannah. “Do you really think someone like Diana is going to consider someone like you?”

“Settle down, girls.” Diana said, her eyes closed. “I’d be happy to be your partner for this assignment, Sucy.” The blonde witch stood up, signaling for the other witches to disperse. Some of them, dejected, had gone off to pair with each other.

"Just don't try anything foolish." she said, eyes narrowed.

Hannah and Barbara stared at Diana, eyes wide and mouths agape. She could hear strangling noises coming from their mouths.

“I’d never dream of it.” Sucy said, trying and failing to give a sincere smile. She really didn’t intend on causing any trouble, though. The witch just wanted to see where this would lead.

Besides, the looks on their faces had more than filled her mischief quota already.

* * *

 

“You _what_?”

Okay. Hannah and Barbara’s expressions had been the best start to her morning yet, but Akko’s expression came at a close second. Surprisingly enough, the girl’s disruption hadn’t turned heads at the lunch table this time – Sucy liked to think that it was because an outburst a day had become the norm.

“That’s right. My pair’s Mrs. Stuck-up for the assignment.”

Akko fumed.

“Akko, don’t take it too personally.” Lotte said, putting her hand on Akko’s elbow. “It’s just for a class presentation. It’s nothing serious.”

“Yeah, Akko.” Sucy smiled. “Not like I was planning on _dumping you for her_.”

Lotte had to jam herself between the two right at once. Her arms strained to keep Akko from lobbing Sucy in the face, but the other girl wasn’t making it easy for her. Their fungal friend merely sniggered, despite being inches away from a thrashing.

“Stop it, you two!” the Finnish witch said. “You’re acting like children!”

“Take that back!” Akko sputtered, her face beet-red. “You take that back right _now_!”

After a few more seconds of struggling, Akko stood back up and left the cafeteria in a huff. She left her lunch virtually untouched, the bean soup growing colder as the silence grew longer.

“That wasn’t very nice, Sucy.” Lotte said, in her usual nonconfrontational tone. “I think you should apologize.”

Sucy shrugged. “If she likes him so much, why doesn’t she just tell him?”

* * *

 

“Lady Diana, you can’t seriously be considering this!” Hannah said. The Cavendish heiress was sitting on a bench at the Luna Nova gardens, hands on her lap, sandwiched between her two cohorts.

“There’s no ‘considering,’ Hannah. It’s done.” Her expression and tone were as neutral as always, but something about it bit Hannah anyway.

“But they’re freaks!” said Barbara, slamming her hand on the bench. “Losers! Weirdos!”

“They are witches and will be treated as such. Anyway, don’t you two already have partners of your own?”

“Hey, Barbara.” Hannah said over Diana’s shoulder, loud enough for the witches in the next bench to hear her. “I hear that Sucy once brewed a potion so strong, it _killed_ her partner! Can you imagine that?”

“How awful!”

“I know. Who knows how she…”

Diana closed her eyes. “Kindly stop.”

The two witches slumped back, silent. “Sorry, Lady Diana.” they said in unison, their heads bowed. An awkward silence ensued, followed by the two of them standing up and walking away in embarrassment.

Diana leaned forward and sighed. It wasn’t for Sucy’s sake that she was doing this; the girl was about as good as she was at this subject. But, as she had told them earlier, they couldn’t always rely on her for _everything_. She wouldn’t be around forever – if they weren’t going to learn it themselves, who’d do it for them?

* * *

 

When Akko burst into the room, Lotte could tell that she was hungry, angry and impatient. The latter two, she could have dealt with individually – it was the first part that worried her.

Akko walked over to Lotte, pointedly passing over Sucy as she did. The pink-haired witch didn’t seem to notice or care about her snub, too engrossed in her fluids and beakers.

“Hey, _Lotte_ ,” she said, accentuating her friend’s name, “want something? I’m going out to buy some food.”

Lotte tried not to sigh. “No thanks, Akko. I’ll be fine.”

Akko blinked. “Are you sure _you_ don’t _want_ anything?” she said again, her emphasis harsh.

“I’m really fine, I had a lot for lunch.” Lotte feigned a smile to guise her exasperation with her friend’s mini-tantrum. “You go ahead.”

“Alright, fine then.” Akko stormed out of the room, taking one last look back at Sucy before _hmph_ ing loudly and slamming the door.

Lotte waited a bit after that before speaking again. “Sucy, I really think what you said to her made her mad. I really think you should say sorry.”

“Maybe after this.” Sucy, eyes still focused on her potion, fidgeted with the test tubes to her right. Picking one and grabbing it, she plopped the entire tube’s contents inside her concoction.

* * *

 

 

“What does she know, anyway? Does she think that I’m so petty as to hate her just for being near Dia – that _shrew_?” Akko said, without a trace of irony or self-awareness in her voice. She was carrying a bundle of plastic-wrapped sandwiches in her arms. Akko knew that Lotte said that she didn’t want any, so she guessed she’d just eat the excess while waltzing in front of Sucy.

The witch barged in, marginally less subtly than she usually did – by taking a long stride inside and humming in her best sing-song voice.

“Lotte! I’m _ba-a-a_ – Eh?”

The sandwiches dropped on the floor. Her friends were in the same positions she had left them in – the _exact_ same positions, in fact. With the minor adjustment of them both being made entirely of marble, of course.

Akko screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I nailed Diana's characterization. She's a bit cold and humorless, but she's a sweet girl underneath everything - she just doesn't have a lot of tolerance for shenanigans.


	3. Pretty Poison, Part II

“I swear that I had _nothing_ to do with this!” Akko shouted at her teachers. The Luna Nova disciplinary committee surrounded the young witch – as usual, Professor Ursula was the only one on her side.

Professor Finneran leaned forward. “Given your record of accomplishment, Miss Kagari, we are inclined to believe otherwise!” she said, her teeth champed together.

Professor Ursula waved her hands. “Calm down, Professor Finneran! Th – there _must_ be some truth in what she’s saying! I mean, she did say that she, uh…”

The current spat was interrupted by Professor Lukic opening the door to the headmistress’ office.

“It wasn’t her.” Lukic said, without so much as a single chuckle.

“See?” Akko said, beaming with triumph while pointing at Professor Lukic. “It didn’t have anything to do with me!”

Before Professor Finneran could interject, Lukic interrupted her. “Miss Kagari is telling the truth. There’s _no way_ she could create a potion as advanced as this.”

Akko turned pale at the last sentence – nevertheless, she’d just had her skin saved. She’d consider it a win for now. Still, her pride had been hurt, and she bit her lip to stop herself from saying anything foolish.

Professor Finneran stood up straight and walked back. “Hmph.” she said, turning back. Professor Ursula sighed.

“But are they going to be alright?” Akko turned her

Akko could feel a chill creep through the room. “Alright?” Lukic said, looming over Akko like a buzzard over a corpse. “They’re going to be frozen in stone… _forever_! Ahahahaha!”

Headmistress Holbrooke coughed. “Lukic, that’s enough.”

Lukic shrank back down. “They’ll be fine.”

“We’ve told you that four times already.” Professor Badcock rolled her eyes.

“Five, actually.” Professor Finneran muttered, staring at the library books.

Professor Lukic walked over to Akko. “So, I have good news and bad news.”

“Oh?” Akko said, looking up. “What’s the bad news?”

“The bad news is that the remedy won’t take full effect for around two days, so your friends will have to stay here at the medical ward for the time being.” Lukic steepled her fingers. “Which means _you_ won’t have a partner.”

Akko’s eyes widened. “Eh?”

“Of course, I think I can make accommodations for you.” Lukic clicked her teeth. _And anyway, this was probably the best option to avoid disaster_.

“Oh, okay. And the good news?”

“The good news,” Lukic said, without flinching even once, “is that I’m giving these two an A for this assignment.”

* * *

 

“I have disconcerting news to share with you, class.” Professor Lukic said, swooping across the classroom. “Miss Mambavaran and Miss Yanson will not be attending class today, for you see, they have been… _turned to stone_!”

The entire class started back. An unlucky girl almost jumped out of her seat, earning her teacher’s attention. Giggling, Lukic locked onto the unfortunate young witch.

“And if you aren’t careful…” she said, swooping over to the poor girl, “…YOU could be next!”

Diana had, of course, remained calm throughout the session. She had been concerned about her partner’s absence, but if Miss Lukic was making light of the scenario, it meant that she hadn’t been seriously hurt. Twiddling her thumbs slightly, she sat properly and closed her eyes.

“Just kidding!” Lukic said, shrinking back to her desk. “They’ll be well within the evening.”

 _As suspected_. Diana resisted the urge to lean back and stretch her arms. She was concerned about working alone, but she supposed that it’d have to do for now. It wasn’t as big a problem as it would have been for…

Diana looked to her left. As usual, Atsuko Kagari was barely awake, struggling to keep her eyes open despite her teacher’s fearmongering monologue. She pitied whoever her partner was; pulling both their weight had to be a thankless task.

“Of course, this leaves two of you without partners. Is anyone here willing to accommodate Miss Kagari for the time being?”

The entire classroom fell silent. Diana thought she saw Hannah and Barbara trying to point at a girl they didn’t like – she disliked the sentiment, but understood it. Akko always tried so hard, but the disaster that followed made her a poor pick for a partner.

“Anyone?”

Akko was too sleepy to notice the silent shunning going on around her. Or had she just grown used to it? Diana felt a pang of pity in her chest, a feeling she felt more often than she’d ever admit. She tried so _hard_ all the time, and even if it ended in failure her passion _never_ died. Even if it was for the sake of that – oh, _blast it_.

Diana raised her hand. “I’ll do it.”

That jolted Akko – and everyone else, for that matter – out of their stupor. Most of the class had looks of horror frozen on their faces. Hannah’s and Barbara’s eyes were bulging and their mouths were left agape. But Akko – Atsuko Kagari was staring at Diana like the English witch was the world’s biggest, richest cockroach.

Professor Lukic’s expression went flat. “…very well, Miss Cavendish.”

She snapped at the rest of the class. “Well? Get into position, you lot!”

* * *

 

Akko didn’t look at Diana. She didn’t _want_ to look at Diana. She didn’t want to speak to Diana. She wished she could scrub her brain of the word “Diana” and all related concepts, so she wouldn’t have to _think_ of Diana.

Diana rolled her eyes. Most of their classmates would cut off their pinky finger to have her volunteer to be their partner. And Akko would’ve been rudderless without her anyway; normally, volunteering to be someone’s partner would be met with gratitude regardless of who it was.

“Now isn’t the time to act on whatever sentiments you might be feeling right now.” Diana said, folding her arms. “We need to work together on this.”

“Whatever.” Akko said, craning her neck further to make sure their faces didn’t meet. Diana’s lips curled slightly, but she stifled it.

The blonde witch looked into the little cauldron on their table. The overall recipe was simple – some hairs from a dwarf’s beard, a spoonful of mummy dust, a drop of manticore poison…she could do it by herself, easily. But she also knew that Professor Lukic was watching them, and if she carried Akko then the poor girl wouldn’t be credited for the assignment.

“Akko, be serious. This is a graded project.” Diana said.

“Hmph.” Akko closed her eyes, grabbed a centipede and plopped it in the cauldron. Diana sighed – she supposed that counted as cooperation.

“Now we need to cooperate on this next spell, or it won’t work. Do you understand?”

“Perfectly.” said Akko, opening her eyes and glaring at Diana. She took out her wand and gave it a sluggish twirl.

“Alright, then.” Diana said. “On my mark…”

If looks could kill, Diana would be a mangled, unrecognizable corpse by now. Akko’s expression was twisted in a litany of emotions, all so varied and so contrasting that Diana couldn’t augur them.

“Three.”

Akko’s nostrils flared. The girl fumed – Diana could almost see the smoke coming from her ears.

“Two.”

Akko’s teeth gnashed and gritted together. Her snorting was audible now, although Diana was good-natured enough to ignore it.

“One!”

“ _BEGJED JUBOREN_!”

Akko’s wand slammed against the table. Their combined magic had burst into the cauldron with a combined force that Diana could _feel_. Hers, of course, was an elegant mix of precision, intent and power…but Akko’s was just _power_ , flowing into the mix with a volatile energy that dwarfed her own.

The cauldron shook. Diana took a step back, taking care not to bump into Akko. The Japanese witch had, at least, stopped glaring at her to stare at the frothing mixture threatening to burst out into –

A gigantic variation of the squirming centipede Akko had so hastily thrown into the pot sprung out of the stew, shattering the cauldron to bits. Diana took out her wand and started mouthing the counterspell when she was shoved back against the table behind them.

Diana grunted. She gripped her wand, looked back up and wait _what_?

Akko had placed herself between Diana and the centipede, clutching its mandibles in both her hands. Evidently she was straining against the pressure – the other witch didn’t have time to be shocked. Getting up, she twirled her wand in the air and pointed it at the centipede, a green light already sparking from its tip.

“ _NERUB ENFEGER_!”

The centipede swallowed the light. Its carapace trembled at the power contained within it for all of two seconds before it burst apart, drenching the entire class – including Diana, too shocked to put up her shield – in pink goop.

Lukic allowed her students a moment of silence. “Well then,” she said, clearing her throat. “I suppose that’s enough for today.”

* * *

 

“ _Gaaaaaaaaaah_! What is she trying to _prove_ , anyway?”

Akko filed a sheaf of papers into a drawer labeled STUDIES ON PRACTICAL MAGIC. Sucy handed the next sheaf to her while muttering to herself about how they got roped into helping Akko with her detention time _again_.

Lotte blinked. “Why don’t you just take it as it is, Akko?”

“And anyway, you were the one that jumped in her path.” said Sucy. “Why are you putting all the responsibility on her, anyway?”

Akko fell silent. Her two friends blinked, shrugged, then handed her the next batch of papers.

The image of the blonde witch made Akko pinch her eyes shut. Oh, how she _loathed_ those bright blue eyes and glossy lips, that poise and those flawless fingers of hers. She imagined Diana combing her perfect, silky golden tresses in her magic mirror, satisfied after one-upping pathetic, talentless Atsuko again…and turned a bright, bright _red_.

She was gonna get her one of these days.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates may be delayed because of developments in canon. I already have Chapter 4 planned out, but beyond that it's who knows what. Might not be too much of a bother considering how sparsely I update in any case.
> 
> Also just so you know, I come up with magic words by smashing my keyboard and then adding vowels to make the resultant mish-mash sound good.


	4. Dungeon Delving, Part I; or I Love The Smell of Slime in the Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about that, got caught up with some school stuff.

Akko stared at the clock above. It was 6:31 AM exactly, but she supposed that now was as good a time as any to tell Professor Ursula. “Professor Ursula,” she said, “do you think Shiny Chariot ever had a crush on anyone?”

Professor Ursula, who of course was in a very good position to know about Shiny Chariot’s love life, blushed scarlet. “I…I don’t think she went public about that sort of thing.” she said, in a desperate attempt at sating Akko’s curiosity.

It backfired miserably. “Really? So she had a secret lover? Did she ever tell you about it?”

“I…I don’t – no, I – “

“Eeeeh? You can tell me, Professor Ursula!” Akko said, putting on her best beaming smile. Ursula found it adorable, but refused to succumb. “I promise I’ll never tell anyone ever!”

Professor Ursula doubted that. “L – let’s just get back to the lesson, shall we?”

* * *

 

“Scattered throughout the dungeons are treasures of varying value. Your mission shall be to retrieve these treasures.” Professor Finneran swatted her wand up. “But be warned! Perilous monsters lie in your path.”

Sucy’s eyes glowed. “Ooh, I wonder what’s down in the dungeons. Lots of big, creepy bugs, I bet. And snakes, too…” she chuckled, loud enough for Akko to hear.

It didn’t work. “Yeah!” Akko shouted, pumping her fists. “I can’t wait to _fight_ some things!”

“This dungeon was constructed under Luna Nova precisely for training young witches. So while this should pose little danger to _most_ witches,” Professor Finneran continued, resisting the urge to pass her eyes over Akko, “Luna Nova’s principles  – “

“And child safety laws.” Sucy muttered.

“- behoove me to provide all of you with a safety measure, in case some need arises. To this end, _these_ bracelets have been constructed!” To punctuate her sentence, Professor Finneran held up a silver bracelet affixed with an emerald at the center, then pointed to a nearby table piled with identical bracelets. “Come forward and receive!”

Lotte was the first of the three to start walking to Professor Finneran. “Professor Finneran’s being unusually lively today, isn’t she?” she said, softly.

Sucy shrugged. “It’s all part of tradition, apparently. Overdramatizing is a recurring theme with these people.”

“I know! Isn’t it so cool?” Akko said. Sucy rolled her eyes – it figured that Akko wouldn’t understand why _overdramatize_ was a negative verb. Having received her bracelet, she walked to the foot of the dungeon door with Lotte, where the two of them stopped to wait for their partner.

Professor Finneran twitched when she saw Akko’s grinning face. Luna Nova’s principles, sadly, also behooved her to fix a bracelet on the little walking disaster. But _her_ principles weren’t going to lose the last word to her job description.

Before Akko could speed off into the dungeons, Professor Finneran gripped her wrist tightly and leaned in. “If anything happens, I want you to press the emerald and warp back immediately. Are we clear?” she said, half out of concern for Akko and half out of concern for her job. Well, okay, maybe more out of concern for her job.

Akko nodded. What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

 

“What could possibly go wrong?” said Hannah, shrugging her shoulders. “We have Diana with us, don’t we? There’s nothing to fear!”

“I’m not so sure, Hannah.” Barbara said, her eyes darting through the dungeon corridor. The beeping coming from Diana’s wand gave the two an idea of how _huge_ the place was. “This place gives me the creeps…”

“Silence, you two.” Diana flipped her hair to reassure her two friends. Pointing her glowing wand in one direction, she walked to it as the beeping grew louder.

The treasure chest lay hidden under a pile of soot – a sweep of Diana’s wand was enough to reveal it. Opening it yielded a mithril sword and ten gold bracelets, studded with rubies and emeralds. Hannah and Barbara gasped.

“Wow, this must be worth a fortune! We could easily beat out the rest of the class with this much!” Hannah said, her eyes sparkling. “You’re the best, Diana!”

“Yeah, you’re awesome!” said Barbara. “This should be _more_ than enough to give us top marks!”

Diana curved her lip. “We’re not done here, you two. Put it all in the Bag of Holding – “ she said, taking out a small, worn satchel. “ – and let’s go in deeper.”

“Eh?” the two shouted in unison. “Are we r-really going in deeper?”

Diana shut her eyes. “You are welcome to activate your bracelets if you feel too squeamish to proceed. I can complete this on m – “

The sound of rattling chains interrupted Diana’s spiel. Hannah and Barbara turned around slowly, almost creaking, to look at the source of the noise.

A creature stood in their way, towering above the schoolgirls at six feet tall and covered head-to-toe in chains. Even without the chains, its blue skin, fanged mouth and snakelike eyes made it quite obviously inhuman. The ends of its chains were tipped with hooks and spikes – Diana could smell dried blood and rust.

“A chain devil!” Diana said, taking out her wand. “Come on, girls – girls?”

Hannah and Barbara had relegated themselves to Diana’s back, safely away from the monster. “We’ll guard the treasure, Diana! You take care of it!” they said, in a poor attempt at bravery.

Diana didn’t have time to chastise the two of them. The chain devil reached its arm back and swung one of its long, hooked chains at her – she was barely able to parry with a quick shield spell. Jumping back, she ducked under the other chain swinging at her.

“ _Beten Veri_!” she said, thrusting her wand forward.

At once a thunderclap resounded throughout the corridor and a bright light filled the room. The chain devil stumbled onto the floor and swatted around as the light collected in a ball, which zoomed into it and hit it square in the chest.

Hannah and Barbara covered their ears to shield themselves from the sound of the monster’s corporeal form dissolving. Diana spun around.

“Do you still doubt my power?” she said, closing her eyes and crossing her arms. “Come on!”

* * *

 

“A _turtle pen_ and a box of _paperclips_?” Akko said, holding the items with a single, shaking hand.

“I mean, we did just kill a bunch of slimes.” Sucy shrugged. “Don’t expect to find the Holy Grail.”

Lotte brushed off the residual sludge off their robes with a quick spell. “I think we have enough points to pass. Don’t you think we should be heading back, Akko?”

“ _Pass_? _That’s_ all you care about?” Akko pumped her fists. “We need to beat Diana and those two lunkheads at their own game!”

“Let’s just go on, if that’s the case.” said Sucy. She wasn’t in the mood to continue either, but she couldn’t just leave the two of them alone.

The trio wound through long, empty corridors without brushing against so much as a dire rat. Lotte was certain that at one point they’d just gone around in a circle for at least thirty minutes. Finally, they found their answer staring them flat in the face – literally, in this case, as Akko tripped and fell on a hidden chest.

“Aw, yeah!” Akko said, pumping her fist despite the bruised nose. “I knew we’d find one eventually! Let’s see what’s inside!” And with one swift swoop, she pried the treasure chest open.

Lotte was the first to notice the strange spinning noise in the air. She turned to Akko, eyes widening in shock. “Akko, it’s a tra –“

The chest exploded in a cloud of purple smoke. Akko stumbled away from a claw swinging at her, then followed it up with a blast to where she thought the monster’s head was. It recoiled in pain, then leaned back out to roar in her face.

“Trap chests, huh.” said Sucy.

Lotte gripped her wand. “A _bear_?”

Akko tried her best not to whimper. Sure enough, it was a creature of the ursine persuasion – the only things distinguishing it from its wild kin were a set of runes running up and down its arms.

“Alright, then.” Sucy took something out of her cloak, then poured something else in it fast. Walking up to the bear with zero fear in her face, she held it out. “Mind opening your mouth a bit, Mr. Bear?”

The bear let out another roar – unlike her floored friend, Sucy just poured the vial’s contents into its mouth. Before it could reach out to swipe her, it stumbled onto the floor and doubled-down in agony.

Akko and Lotte both screamed as the bear literally _melted_ through the floor, roaring in pain while imploding into a puddle of bones and innards. Sucy cackled to herself all the while.

“Remind me never to make Sucy mad.” Akko said, her face turning green. Lotte threw up in her mouth.

Sucy brushed off her compatriots’ visceral reactions. “Come on,” she said, looking down through the hole her potion had melted in the floor. “there’s probably rarer treasure down here.”

* * *

 

Akko was still feeling nauseous despite the effects of her feather fall spell wearing off. Seeing a giant bear melt into goop was not something that left you easily, even with the experience she’d had with her friend in the past.

The three of them had a much better yield down here. A bronze flute, some silver chains and a golden gun loaded with silver bullets were resting neatly inside their Bag of Holding. And they’d only had to kill a few more slimes to get them! One thing still bothered her, though.

“Why are there so many slimes down here?” Akko said to Lotte. The Finnish witch gave a small shrug, then loaded a pair of scarlet eyes into the satchel. She thought she heard a blooping sound in the distance, but thought nothing of it.

“It could be that they breed faster in here.” said Sucy. “If you recall in class, we learned that slimes breed best in cold and dank environments teeming with lichen.”

Akko couldn’t look directly at Sucy, which the latter understood. “Anyway, the more pressing question is; why haven’t any of them turned into gelatinous cubes yet?” the mushroom witch said.

“Gelationous…huh?”

“Well, Akko, a – “

Sucy’s exposition was interrupted by an infinitely more interactive learning experience. Hannah and Barbara ran past the trio, occasionally stopping to shoot a bolt or two at some unseen assailant. The object of their fear became apparent shortly after.

A permeating mass of goop filled the corridor with its oozing body. Inches away from it was Diana, staggering back while shooting powerful spells at it. The monster didn’t seem to mind, only growing larger as it swallowed her spells within its gelatinous frame.

Sucy’s eyes lit up. “Whoa! Cool!”

Lotte screamed, both at the monster and at the realization that Sucy was going to do something again. “Akko, we have to go! We have to go _now_!” she said, grabbing Sucy’s wrist and pressing the button hard.

Akko remembered what Professor Finneran had said, and firmly resolved to miss its point entirely. She shot her hand up to protect her friends. “Get back! I’ll deal with this monstrosity!” she said, trying to mimic what Dia – uh, _Shiny Chariot_ would say in this situation.

In a move that made Leroy Jenkins smile down from Heaven, Akko cast off her bracelet and charged headfirst at the slime, wand swinging. Lotte reached out to take her – but it was too late. The bracelets’ magic had activated a split-second before the witch could grab her friend’s arm.

Diana snarled at Hannah and Barbara. “Activate the bracelets and get out! I can deal with this!” she said, despite her progressively bigger and bigger blasts only growing the cube. Hannah and Barbara were gone seconds later.

“What are you doing?” Diana said, turning back to Akko. “Get out!”

Akko had a lot of things that she wanted to tell Diana. She wanted to tell Diana that she wasn’t going to be shown up yet again by some witch who thought she was better than everyone. She wanted to tell Diana that it was _her_ , not Diana, who was going to be the coolest witch ever. She wanted to tell her that she was so cool and so irritating and so glamorous and she didn’t _really_ know what she wanted to tell her, but it was irrelevant, as the slime reached out and swallowed her before she could even breathe.

Diana cursed. There was only one thing left to do. Pressing the emerald, she dove in to teleport herself and Akko away – and watched in shock as her bracelet slip off her wrist, teleporting the _cube_ and leaving the two of them stranded in the dungeon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another cliffhanger to end another chapter! Will Akko and Diana make it out of this predicament alive?
> 
> …of course they will. What is this, the Walking Dead? With that established, what will happen next?


	5. Dungeon Delving, Part I; or Angel Came Out of Nowhere

Professor Finneran _really_ hated the coffee they made here.

Making your coffee as terrible as possible was an ancient tradition. It probably had its roots in villagers blaming everything on witches during the hunting days, but soon enough it was adopted as tradition by witches themselves. The logic they used was that if you drank awful coffee, you’d feel disgusting and gross inside. The perfect mood for casting hexes.

She stood by with Professor Ursula at the drop zone, waiting for the others to clock in. The older witch tapped her foot and sipped her coffee. It was ichor-black, salty and bitter all at once – it churned at her insides more than usual. She’d done this a thousand times, sure, but she’d never had a hand grenade like the Kagari girl to deal with before.

Another group of witches appeared and emptied their bag, revealing a sizable pile of gold and jewels. Finneran clapped her hands. “Well done, you three.” she said, sounding unimpressed. “B+.”

Finneran took a deeper sip. Yes, she hated the coffee here. And she liked it that way.

A flash of light and a warping sound, far brighter and louder than usual, manifested above the two witches. Finneran didn’t even have time to register as four students – each one a pair missing their third – dropped onto the floor. She was just about to formulate a chastising speech when the light disappeared, drenching everyone present in a thick, translucent goop.

And it had gotten in her _coffee_ , too.

* * *

 

“What did you just _do_?” shouted Diana to Akko.

Akko’s chest puffed up. “That’s what _I_ was gonna ask _you_! If you hadn’t lured that slime here, we wouldn’t have been in this mess in the first place!”

“I – Well, I just – I, you –“ Diana felt a sinking pit in her stomach as she realized that just this once, this time around, it was _her_ fault they were in a mess.

The two of them remained silent. Diana sat down, cross-legged; Akko, pouting, followed suit soon.

“Alright.” Diana said, clasping her fingers. “If the bracelets are gone, then our only way out is _manually_. Fortunately for us – “ she said, fishing something out of her pocket, “I had something for just in case something like this happened.”

“What is – _eeeek_!” Akko said, jumping back at the sight of an eyeball attached to a long, thick stem.

“It’s a tracker. I placed a checkpoint at the entrance in case we got lost; this should take us back to it.”

Even when she was mad at her, Akko couldn’t help admiring Diana’s fortitude. She stopped herself before she started to list all the _other_ things she admired about her rival.

“…Well? Lead the way!” Akko said, crossing her arms and _hmph_ ing for effect.

* * *

 

Two witches sped past empty dungeon hallways, each holding a lantern in her hand.

“If it’s a gelatinous cube and they were fighting a chain devil only three floors above, then they should be around the 16th level.” Professor Ursula said. “We’ll check there _first_ , assuming they haven’t left.”

Professor Finneran nodded. “I hope you’re right.” The two girls could’ve been lost anywhere at the 16th level, though; labyrinth didn’t even _begin_ to describe the dungeon’s size. Her great-grandmother had been involved in its construction, so she knew exactly how big it was.

Ursula grimaced. Finding the two girls would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Only that haystack was in a bigger haystack, which was hidden in a field of identical haystacks, and sometimes people would switch the haystacks around – and then she forgot where she was going with this train of thought.

One thing was sure, though. “When I find that Kagari girl…” she heard Finneran mutter.

“…I’m going to _scream her ear off_.” Ursula finished, in a tone far harsher than the older witch had anticipated.

* * *

 

“I never passed _this_ way!” Akko said, walking up a spiral staircase.

“Neither have I.” said Diana. The eyeball was floating in her left palm, pointing the two upward with its iris. “Why did it lead us here?”

The two of them were walking on a marble staircase supported by a thin, white pillar – the only thing visible in Akko’s meager wand-light. Around them was a sea of blackness; no torches were in sight. The eyeball _had_ determined, nevertheless, that this was the quickest way up.

From the darkness, a glowing red…marble of some sort appeared. Akko marveled as it floated into their field of vision. “What is that?”

“Whatever it is, I don’t think it’s a good idea to touch it.” Diana said. “So I wouldn’t – AKKO!”

Upon contact with Akko’s finger, the marble sped off and disappeared. The two had all of two seconds to wonder where it had went before a harsh red light blinded them, almost teetering off the staircase.

A crimson glow bathed the dungeon, showing them a sea of red liquid. Half-sunken into the fluid were parts of giant machines, vaguely resembling far larger human body parts. The witches’ gaze was drawn to the largest thing within sight – a short distance from them was a giant red spear, half-sunken into the sea.

“Okay, I think we should leave.” Akko said. Diana grabbed her arm and ran up.

Above the spear, a circle of lights danced faster and faster. The ground shook and the sea trembled as the witches’ steps were drowned out by something springing to life, something enormous and ancient and _angry_.

A ray of light nearly sent the two plummeting into the sea. Akko and Diana heard a _whoosh_ ing sound like a hurricane fill the room, and an unearthly, animalistic roar in the distance. The two girls screamed and ran faster; perhaps even death by falling was preferable to whatever had awakened down there.

From out of the sea it had swam, spurred to life by a will beyond comprehension. Milky white armor stretched across a lanky, humanoid frame. Immense, feathered wings spanned as far as their eyes could see. An eyeless white head grinned at them with immense teeth and blood-red, almost comically full lips. A giant hand clenched around the spear and pulled it from the ground, revealing its two narrow prongs.

 “ _It’s an angel_.” Diana said, her jaw dropping.

The angel’s immense hand stretched out to grasp the two girls. Diana gasped out a quick _Beten Veri_ and funneled as much power as she could into the spell at once. The monster’s hand flinched slightly, giving Diana enough time to grab Akko’s finger and pull her up.

Akko was the first to notice that the circle hadn’t disappeared. It only spun around faster and faster, widening to encompass the angel in a brighter light. She didn’t wait to see what happened next and leaped onto the ledge above.

Diana didn’t waste any time either. She scrambled up past Akko, leaned back down and pulled the Japanese witch onto the ledge with her. The two of them seated themselves just in time to be blinded by one last red shimmer.

The two of them lay there panting for a few minutes. Finally, Diana decided to break the silence by – why wasn’t Akko looking at her?

“Akko, what’s wrong?” she said. “Are you mad at me?”

Yes, Akko was mad at her. She was mad at her for the angel, and the dungeon and the slime and everything in between. No, it had nothing to do with the fact that their fingers fit together _perfectly_. Of course it didn’t.

“D-Diana?” she said, still not looking at her.

“Hm?”

“Please…please get your – your – “

“What is it? You’re not making any sense.” Diana tilted her head.

“ _Please get your hand off mine_!” Akko yelled. Diana jumped back and her hand leapt, only to rest on Akko’s again. Her skin was oddly smooth.

“Oh!” Diana said, removing her hand once more slowly and promptly. “Oh, I’m so sorry. Must have…must have lingered a bit too long there. Heh heh heh.” She continued to chuckle, but it was a nervous, tense chuckling that Akko didn’t really feel comfortable hearing from someone like Diana.

The two of them were spared any more awkward moments by Finneran and Ursula swooping down on them, both teachers looking as cross as the two were nervous.

* * *

 

“That’s it. That’s _the last straw_!” Professor Finneran said, walking in front of the two witches. “I’ve half a mind to expel you _on the spot_!”

“But it wasn’t me, I swear it – “ Akko turned to Professor Ursula, hoping that the good cop would swoop in to save the day. She didn’t.

“I’m very disappointed in you, Akko.” Ursula said, closing her eyes and breathing in. “What if something had happened to you in there?”

Akko choked. “You don’t understand! I didn’t – It wasn’t – “ She looked at Diana, the normally stoic witch looking uncomfortable.

“Miss Kagari! You have _no right_ to speak!” Finneran shouted, making Akko shuffle back into a corner. The poor girl was on the verge of tears.

Ursula turned to Diana. “What are you still doing here, Diana?” she said, in a softer tone. “You can go now.”

Diana took one hard look at Professor Ursula, one harder glance at Akko’s whimpering form and something just… _snapped_.

“ _I did it_!”

Outside, a flock of birds flew off a tree. Inside the room, the two witches looked at Diana, stupefied.

“I…” Finneran said. “What?”

“ _I_ did it! It was my fault we got lost! It was my fault we lost our bracelets, _okay_?” Diana bowed. “I take _full_ responsibility!”

Professor Finneran had once watched a film about a witch who had melted into a puddle when splashed with a bucket of water. Right then, right there, she knew _exactly_ how that witch felt.

* * *

Diana’s punishment was far, far lighter than any _either_ witch had given out, even to Akko. She was made to pile books on top of one another for about five minutes; enough time for her to regain her stoic disposition.

Or at least for the moment.

She’d grown hypersensitive to sudden movements in the time following the incident with the angel, and Akko’s footsteps weren’t hard to sense anyway. Diana turned around.

“Hey, Diana.” Akko said. “Do you need my help?”

“No, it’s fine.” Diana closed her eyes.

“Are you sure? Because…”

“It was my fault and I take full responsibility. Didn’t I make that clear?” Diana said.

“Oh…okay.”

Silence went on as Diana piled book upon book.

“I was just thinking that maybe we could…maybe, we, uh, could…hang out some time?” Akko said with a chuckle.

The egg timer rang – Diana’s minutes were up. She twisted the clock back into place, then turned to face Akko.

“…I’ll consider it.”

Akko nodded reflexively, thought of what to say, then inched away from the door and broke into a brisk walk back to her room.

* * *

 

Somewhere dark and cold, another witch grasped at her prize.

“That was fun.” Croix said, holding a ruby-red gemstone between her fingers. Engraved on it was a vaguely humanoid figure with wings like an eagle’s, holding a two-pronged spear.

She stared at the video feed of the Cavendish heiress and the wielder of the Shiny Rod. “Let’s play again some _other_ time, shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah sorry about the wait. I had exams.
> 
> Now that we know more about Diana's family situation, though, expect the next one to come a lot faster! Which isn't really saying much.


	6. New Moon on Monday, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and we're back, baby.

Diana tapped her fingers on her desk.

Atsuko Kagari was, as one of her country’s great leaders would say, an enigma wrapped in a riddle. How could a girl so superficially dense have so much emotional intelligence, so much insight into why people did what they did? Diana was popular, yes, but that was because of crystalline intelligence mixed with circumstances of birth – she knew lots of people on a superficial basis. But what little friends Akko had scratched up from the miscreants of Luna Nova stuck with her no matter what.

Diana mused. _Who had it better off?_ She honestly didn’t know.

Hannah and Barbara would _die_ for her, of course, and she’d been there for them through everything. The household staff she knew by name, unlike her conniving aunt and repulsive cousins. Andrew was too mixed up in his father’s power-gaming schemes to be truly close to her.

She took the book next to her and started flipping through the pages. Magic was _so_ much easier than understanding the conundrums that people were.

* * *

“Professor Ursula, I have a question I wanted to ask you.”

Ursula turned to Akko. “Yes?”

“You’re around the same age as Shiny Chariot, right?”

Professor Ursula counted the number of ways she did not want to have this conversation right now, but didn’t want to snap too hard at the poor girl. “I…I don’t think I’d know about her, honestly.”

“Oh…” Akko shrank back into her chair. Ursula put on her best reassuring smile, still remembering how harshly she had assumed Akko’s guilt the last time.

Ursula pounded her fist against her palm in faux-realization. “I _do_ believe that I did hear some rumors about her, though. All word-of-mouth, of course.”

“Really?” Akko’s eyes lit up and Ursula permitted herself to feel a little less guilty. “What did they say? What was she like?”

“Well…” Memories came flooding back, some of them good, some of them…well, she didn’t like dwelling. “I mean, she certainly stood out. _That_ was for sure.”

“Was she a performer even then? When did she start showing everyone how _cool_ magic was?”

“I – well. I’ve just heard rumors, but…”

Ursula clapped her hands. “Oh, right! I _just_ remembered something.”

Akko looked dejected, but wasn’t making her about-to-cry face this time.

“There’s a blue moon coming on tonight!” Ursula wiggled her fingers. “You know what that means, don’t you?”

Akko scratched her head. “I do remember…something about an apparition…somewhere?”

Ursula waltzed up to the upper rung of her room and flung the curtains open. “That’s right! The omniscient spirit of the blue moon’s going to appear tonight at midnight at the foot of the chapel. If you get to it, it’ll answer any question!”

The little girl shot up. “ _Any_ question?” she said, the glimmer back in her eyes. Ursula bit her lip.

“Yes. But it isn’t going to be around for long.” Ursula’s smile fell. She stared out of the window, her glasses shimmering in the moonlight. “You might never get another chance.”

“Oh…”

“And if you do, remember these words.”

Akko leaned in, ears perked.

“ _Phaidori Afairynghor_. You get what you work for, not what you dream of.”

The young witch’s eyes swerved to the clock; it was 8 PM so soon?

“Uh…Professor, I have to – “

“Go ahead.”

The professor watched as the girl sped off out of her room and into the hallway. Sighing, she took a few steps down and rested in her seat.

Ursula suddenly realized that she’d just sent a little girl out on a risky magical undertaking without any supervision whatsoever. Not for the first time that day, she hit herself on the head.

“You’re an idiot, Chariot.”

* * *

Akko ran through the hallways at lightning pace. Finally, the chance she’d been dreaming of – the chance to become the most powerful witch _ever_ and bring magic back to the world! All she needed to do was get there tonight, and…

“Don’t take this lightly.” she heard Professor Finneran say. Akko stopped and hid behind the wall. Peering into the corridor, she saw the old witch teacher handing a strange cylinder to Diana.

Oh great, Mrs. Little Perfect was getting her feet licked by the professors again. Part of her brain dwelled on what Diana’s feet would look like, so soft and white and pristine…but she muffled that part. She was good at muffling things.

“What you’re doing has the potential to change the magical world forever.” Finneran said, her face solemn and eyes fixated on the cylinder.

“I don’t.” Diana said, closing her eyes.

Professor Finneran nodded. “Good. If anyone can do this, it’s you.” she said. The witch shrank back into the dean’s office and shut the door with a clang.

A few seconds passed.

“I know you’re there. Come out.”

Akko jumped out of the corridor in surprise. “Diana? How’d you sense me?”

Diana didn’t have the cruelty to tell her that she had all the grace of a hippopotamus, and that the only reason Finneran didn’t notice her was that she wasn’t looking. So she didn’t.

“What are you doing out here so late?” Diana placed a hand on her hip. “You should be sleeping or studying.”

“I overheard your conversation. You’re going to the archives?”

“Yes. But _I_ alone have permission, no-one else.” And certainly not _her_ , Diana was about to say, but she bit her tongue before she could say it.

“Why?”

Diana wasn’t one to use deceit, and she didn’t see any reason to start now. “I’m studying about magic’s disappearance and the Nine Olde Witches. It’s all very highly confidential research, of course.”

The gears turned in Akko’s head. Diana was extremely angering to interact with, but she was from a long and storied family. If anyone knew how to bring magic back to the world, it was probably someone from her family; she was the only one available, so hey. And anyway, didn’t she have an hour or four before the apparition? She could spare some time.

“Can I come with you?”

“Like I said, I alone have permission to use it.” Diana passed her Japanese acquaintance (friend?) with a slight hmph. Akko’s blood boiled.

The English witch took three strides before stopping.

“Are you going to hide in the shadows and follow me if I leave without you?” she sighed, turning back.

Akko didn’t answer that, because she didn’t _need_ to answer that.

“Very well.” Diana said, giving her a weary look. “You might as well do it under my supervision. And I owe you an explanation, at least.”

Akko crossed her arms and swallowed her spit – and her pride. “Hmph! I’m – I’m only going with you because you’ve got access to the archives.”

A smile crossed Diana’s lips for the briefest of moments.

“Come on. We’ll take my broom.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait, this has been sitting in D: rotting until I got to it. We're officially back in action!
> 
> Good news: I know when to stop now. A definitive ending's being sketched out as we speak, and by sketched out I mean I have a .txt with like 36 words in it. 
> 
> Bad news: I have no idea if this lines up with the equivalent episode in canon, so if you see continuity errors, TELL ME.


End file.
